Which 1973 caper starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford won Best Picture? The answer is The Sting.
The Sting is a 1973 caper film directed by George Roy Hill and set in 1936. Paul Newman plays Henry Gondorff, an experienced con artist, while Robert Redford plays Johnny Hooker, a younger grifter seeking revenge against a mob boss after a friend is killed. Their elaborate scheme builds toward a carefully staged swindle.
The film was inspired by real confidence tricks described in David Maurer’s 1940 book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man. Its old-fashioned title cards and ragtime score helped create a distinctive period atmosphere, while Marvin Hamlisch’s arrangement of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” became a major hit.
At the 46th Academy Awards, The Sting won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. A common mix-up is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, another Newman–Redford collaboration directed by Hill; it was popular and acclaimed but did not win Best Picture.